Isanti County, Minnesota ends Flock ALPR trial, sheriff cites cost after privacy complaints

Event: August 8, 2026 · First reported: August 8, 2026 · 1 source

Isanti County Sheriff Wayne Seiberlich announced on Friday that the sheriff's office will discontinue use of Flock automated license plate readers, which the county had run as a no-cost trial beginning in April. The sheriff attributed the decision to budgetary considerations, noting a $3,000 price per camera, while also acknowledging that residents raised concerns during the trial about constitutional privacy issues, third-party access to Flock data, and government overreach. Seiberlich said he would reconsider the technology if funding, technology, or public safety needs change.

Why this matters

The county's decision shows how a sheriff can end an ALPR program on cost grounds while separately documenting the civil-liberties objections raised by residents, offering other jurisdictions a record of both the reported hit statistics and the public concerns.

Key facts

Cameras were installed at entry points including Highway 65, Highway 95, Highway 47, County Road 9 near the Chisago County line, and County Road 8 near the Sherburne County line.
The sheriff's office reported the trial generated 35 notifications tied to arrest warrants, five stolen plates, four stolen vehicles, and four missing persons alerts.
The system also produced 5,365 notifications for plates registered to revoked owners, 1,207 for suspended owners, and 446 flagged 'Cancelled-Inimical to Public Safety.'
Seiberlich said his decisions rest on evidence, law, and county needs rather than politics or public pressure, and did not rule out future use.
The ACLU has said Flock is building a 'nationwide mass surveillance system'; the sheriff cited national reports of officers misusing LPR data.

Sources

This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.

Isanti County ditches Flock license plate readers, cites cost over controversy (Yahoo, August 8, 2026)

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About this record

BlockFlockNow documents reported incidents involving Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers: council votes, contract decisions, misuse by authorized users, lawsuits, audits, and community response. Every record is reviewed by a person before publication. New to the topic? Start with What is Flock?, find meetings near you, or learn how to request your town's camera records.

Updated August 10, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.